When is The Late Show with Stephen Colbert coming back on CBS?

The summer season has been pretty vacant when it comes to late night television. Jimmy Kimmel went on vacation, which means Jimmy Kimmel Live! has been taken over a by revolving door of guest hosts (and will continue to be for the next few weeks).

Then there's The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, which is seemingly nowhere to be found. The late night show is a staple, and given how politically-driven Colbert's humor tends to be, the fact that he's off the air post-presidential debate seems like a missed opportunity. What gives? When is the show coming back?

The Late Show has been on hiatus for 2 weeks

First, it's important to note how long the show has been off the air. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert was replaced with reruns during the last week of June. CBS did not provide a reason for this scheduling decision. The same reruns approach will be applied to the first week of July, however, with the long holiday weekend in tow.

The network has had different reasons to alter their nightly schedule in the past. The Late Show has been taken out of its usual time slot to accommodate for sporting events like the PGA Masters, or even the health issues of its host.

In November 2023, Stephen Colbert canceled a week's worth of Late Night shows because his appendix ruptured and he needed emergency surgery. He broke the news to fans via threads:

"Sorry to say that I have to cancel our shows this week. I’m sure you’re thinking, 'Turkey overdose, Steve? Gravy boat capsize?' Actually, I’m recovering from surgery for a ruptured appendix."

Other talk show hosts are currently on vacation

Thankfully, there doesn't appear to be any health-related causes for the current hiatus. It's more likely that Colbert is following suit with other talk show hosts like Jimmy Fallon and the aforementioned Kimmel, and simply taking some vacation time.

The only talk show that aired new episodes during the week of Fourth of July is After Midnight on CBS. Even then, the show goes on a break this Wednesday, July 3 in anticipation of the holiday.

The Late Show with Stephen Colbert has not given fans an official return date, but it's likely it will resume its normal time slot and schedule starting on July 8.